Snowbert Through the Pages
by Write-To-You
Summary: Snowbert. Killer Alchemy. Caitlin/Julian. Whatever the heck you want to call them (pleasepleaseplease someone come up with a better ship name please), they are just awesome. They deserve my full on attention. So here is my drabble archive, just for them.
1. Couches and Kisses

**Author's Note: This is** ** _so_** **random, but you can blame my sister. She thought of this weird prompt after I was so devastated that there was no Snowbert** ** _at all_** **in 3x16, and I decided to write it.**

 **Not only that, but this was my parents first-kiss scenario, which is just as unromantic as they continue to be... (no, I'm kidding, they're really cute) But, anyway, I figured it would be good to use for Caitlin and Julian.**

When Julian got Caitlin's text, he had to text back to make sure she wasn't joking.

 _Hey Julian, going couch shopping, wanna come?_

Caitlin Snow was probably the only person in the 21 Century that used commas when she texted. Julian found it, like all her other quirks, strangely endearing.

 _Ur serious? Couch shopping?_

 _Yeah, I've been putting it of for about 2 years... figured I might as well do it now._

Julian laughed allowed. _2 YEARS?!_

He waited for his response. Instead, his phone rang. Dr. Snow. He needed to change the contact to Caitlin, but he just hadn't gotten around to it yet. "Hello?"

"I can't have a proper conversation with you over text messages." Caitlin said. "So I'm calling you. Do you want to come couch shopping with me or not? Because I can ask Cisco-"

"No, no, I'll go!" Julian said, too quickly, too obvious of how much he wanted to spend alone time with Caitlin. "Really." He added, placing his well tuned air of arrogance back into his tone. "Someone's got to make sure that you don't buy the wrong couch and completely wreck the look of your apartment."

"You haven't even _seen_ my apartment." Caitlin reminded him, laughing. "How would you know what looks good?"

Julian considered for a moment, weighing his options. It was true, he had never been to her apartment, and couches were important things... he better be a little bit foreword. For the sake of the couch. "I may need to come to pick you up then. You can give me a tour, and I'll see what I can do in helping you pick up your couch."

"Great!" Caitlin said happily. "Great, I'll see you soon?"

"Yeah." Julian was grinning, even though she couldn't see him. "Yeah, I'll be there in 10."

"Ok." There was a long pause, neither of them wanting to hang up the phone. "I will... see you then."

"Yes." Julian nodded. "Cheerio." He quickly hung up the phone before the conversation could get anymore awkward, then took a deep, steadying breath. 10 minutes. He had to get driving.

15 minutes later (and frantic, because he was _never_ late), Julian pulled up at the small apartment building that Caitlin called home. He sprinted up the steps, composing himself in the hallway as he attempted to get his heart rate down, then knocked.

"It's unlocked, Julian." Caitlin called from inside.

He turned the knob and walked in. "That's not very safe you know, especially in this-" Julian stopped, amazed by what he saw, because the whole apartment was just so _Caitlin_ it was startling.

It was very, _very_ neat, just brushing the line of uncomfortably so, but Julian had grown up in a mansion with maids, and nothing was very dirty or messy in his house for very long. Her bed, just barely seen through an adjoining door, had plain, tan covers, neatly made, a dark pink throw pillow resting on the top

The hallway he was in held a light green chair with a matching throw pillow to the one on the bed, and a bureau, lit up by a small glass lamp. The art on the wall was surprisingly impressionistic (Julian had always seen Caitlin as a landscape painting sort of person), with leaves and flowers in neutral colors.

Books and paper stacks were on nearly every available surface- the bureau, the vanity in the hall, and Julian could see that trend continued into the rest of her apartment. He noticed a bookcase poking out from around the corner.

"Hi!" Caitlin head popped out from the kitchen, and she smiled when she saw him not-very-discreetly taking in her living space. "You're late."

"Yes, sorry." He wrenched his eyes away from another wall, this one covered with more personalized photos, mostly of her, Cisco and Barry (though he did happen to notice one of the two of them, which made his insides tingle). "I wasn't sure exactly where you lived, but I had a general idea. I still had to scare the receptionist into telling me which apartment was yours. She seemed to believe that you wouldn't have a 'gentlemen just as myself'- her words, not mine- coming to visit you."

Caitlin laughed, finishing up whatever she had been doing in the kitchen. "Terra can be... difficult at times, but she is a good person, deep down. She just doesn't really understand the concept of visitors."

"Why is she a receptionist, then?" Julian asked.

She laughed again, and he was pleased to make her so amused. "I've got no idea."

They stood for a moment, simply looking at each other. Julian coughed. "Should we...?"

"Yes!" Caitlin nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes, we should go."

As he always did, Julian stuck out his arm. Caitlin, smiling, grasped his elbow, and they walked out the door together.

"As you probably saw," Caitlin spoke up as they left the building, "My couch is a little bit.. beaten down."

Julian, to his slight embarrassment, hadn't actually noticed much about the couch. He had been more consumed by the picture of the two of them. Searching his memory of the room, however, he could remember the the couch hadn't looked particularly pleasant. "Yes, I do seem to recall that."

She sighed, brushing her hair out of her eyes as it blew in the slight wind. "It's been needing to be replaced for, as I told you before, 2 years now." Noticing his raised eyebrow, she immediately went on the defense. "I know, I know it's ridiculous! I just, you know, never got around to couch shopping, with my STAR Labs job, and Zoom, and now Savitar..." She glanced down at her feet. "And... the last time I went to the furniture store, it was with Ronnie, after we moved into together."

Julian was silent for a moment. He wanted nothing more then to pull her into his arms and hug her like there was no tomorrow, for everything that she had been through, everything that she had lost. He refrained, however, and settled for, "I can see why you would want someone with you, then."

They walked in silence for awhile, the only sound being the rush of cars on their left, and a few people pushing busily past, each with their own lives and problems. Julian had his own to think about- Savitar, dead family members, and not being able to tell a girl how much you liked her just to name a few.

Caitlin, out of the blue, took his hand in her own and squeezed it. "Thank you, Julian." She murmured.

He blinked at her, surprised. "What for?"

"For being there. For always knowing what to say. For understanding all of the stuff I'm dealing with right now, and not letting it scare you away."

Julian smiled, rubbing his thumb across the back of her hand. "You could never scare me away, Caitlin Snow."

It was declarations like that that scared both of them, just a little, even though neither would ever admit it. Too many deep feelings, and they thought they would lose the other person. Caitlin believed everyone that she loved was cursed. Julian believed that _he_ was.

The furniture store came into view as they turned the corner. Julian held open the door for the young doctor, letting the jingle of the bell ring into the quiet store. It was surprisingly large from the impression he got from the outside, but Julian figured it was just one of those works of architecture that some people would always reference a certain police box about.

Caitlin walked straight toward the desk, forcing Julian to increase his speed to catch up with her. "I thought most people waited as long as they could to talk to store workers?"

She sent him a playful smirk over her shoulder, tapping her necklace. "I thought we had already established that I'm not 'most people'?"

He shook his head in awe of how wonderful this woman in front of him was, and joined her at the counter.

"Hi, how can I help you?" The woman (Terri, unless her name tag was wrong, which would be weird) said.

"Uh, hi!" Caitlin gave her a friendly smile. "I'm, uh, looking for a couch."

"You've come to the right place, then." Terri responded, looking slightly amused. "We don't have a separate section for couches, sorry, but if you look around our store, you should see some."

"Oh." Caitlin nodded, blushing slightly. "Right, thanks." She practically ran away from the counter, Julian once again struggling to keep up. "I'm so embarrassed!" She hissed once they were out of earshot. "What did I think- that they were going to have a couch line up?"

Julian tried to smother his laugh, but failed. "I do believe that that is one of the reasons why people tend to avoid talking to store workers."

She lightly slapped his shoulder, and moved a little quicker, trying to get away from the counter. Once they were partially hidden behind a twisty lamp stand- one that was tall and particularly unattractive- Caitlin took a deep breath. "Ok. Ok, couches. Couches that would look good in my apartment." She wasn't really talking to him, she was more just reminding herself what she was doing. It was immensely cute.

"Couches." He repeated. "That look good in your apartment. Not that one." The one closest to them was of a dark purple color, with garish spots on the cover.

Caitlin visibly flinched. "That couch is _awful_."

As she said it, an older couple stoled by. "Oh, look at that nice couch." The man said, peering through thick glasses at it.

"What a nice color sequence!" His wife agreed. They moved on, leaving Julian and Caitlin to stare after them with open mouths.

"That did _not_ just happen." Julian muttered. "Either he is color blind, or tastes get considerably worse as you get older."

"Julian!" Caitlin slapped his shoulder again. "That's so rude. Just because _you_ don't like the couch doesn't mean that they can't."

He shrugged, not nearly as repentant as he should be, and offered her his arm yet again. "Shall we?"

They strolled leisurely through the furniture store, Caitlin shooting every one of Julian's ideas for a couch, and he, in turn, shooting down every one of hers. By the end of two hours, they had still gotten nowhere.

"Come on, Julian. Seriously, what's wrong with that one?" Caitlin asked in exasperation, pointing at a beige couch with pink flowered pillows.

"Nothing." He smirked. "It's just funny seeing you get so worked up."

She punched him, hard, on the arm. "We are getting this couch. _No arguments_."

"Yes ma'am." Julian nodded, a smile covering up his feelings on how much it sounded like they were getting the couch to share. Did he want that? _Yesyesyesyesyesyes..._ No. No that was rash and much too fast. They didn't have the opportunity for relationships right now, with Iris and Savitar and Killer Frost and Alchemy.

The paying process took longer then usual, what with the store worker being entirely unhelpful, and nobody having a pen to sign the delivery forms, until Terri (the story woman, if you'll remember) finally remembered that she had one in her desk drawer.

After much more hassle and tassel then seemed strictly necessary- they were just getting a couch!- they got out of the store and back onto the street.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Caitlin took Julian's arm again and allowed him to lead her down the steadily darkening sidewalk. Later night shoppers were coming out, stragglers taking advantage of the last rays of light to pop into a few more stores before going home.

"Care to go to dinner?" Julian offered as they passed an Italian place.

Caitlin's stomach grumbled audibly as the delicious smells of melted cheese and crust wafted out at them. It was followed by a yawn, however, and she amended his offer. "Thank you, but I'm really quite tired tonight. How about we do takeout? If you don't mind sitting on my cruddy couch to eat it."

"That sounds fine with me." Julian smiled, and took care of the ordering. They had gotten pizza enough times before, -so Julian knew what to order for her- when nobody felt like going home and making dinner, and had eaten it straight out of the box on STAR Lab's pristine white floors, using napkins as plates.

They walked home (or, to Caitlin's house) quietly, breathing in the cool spring air. It was dark when they got to back to her apartment.

Yawning quietly, Caitlin trudged upstairs, too tired from shopping to even be the proper hostess she usually was. "Are we eating pizza now, or should I stick it in oven? Oh, and come on in, make yourself at home."

Julian hesitantly walked in, still feeling a little out of place in the homey apartment. His apartment didn't look like this. His apartment felt cold and distant, more of a living place then a home. It didn't make him feel this warm inside- and even though he had just been to Caitlin's place for the first time today, her's did.

"Let's eat now." Julian decided, stomach rumbling like her's had, earlier. He placed the box awkwardly on her small wooden table. "Uh... where do you keep your plates?"

"Oh, sorry, I can get them." Caitlin apologized, halfway through taking off her necklace.

He smiled at her relaxed attitude, and watch her reach up to get her plates, her cupboards neatly organized, just like most of her seemed to be. Most, but not all. Some bits were still crazy, unpredictable. They way she smiled at him. The way she impulsively squeezed his hand. The way she let him into her heart.

Caitlin put a plate down in front of him. "Wine or water?" She asked. "Or seltzer, because I've got that, too."

"I'm fine with just water." Julian told her. "Is there anything I can do to help you? I don't particularly like just sitting here uselessly."

"You're not useless." Caitlin shook her head, laughing. "You're like my grandmother."

He feigned offense as she put his glass down. "Your grandmother? Just because I'm proper?"

"No, because you insist on helping, even when you don't know where anything is." Caitlin teased.

He shrugged. "Again. Proper."

Caitlin let out a real laugh this time, nothing holding her back, and he had to smile at the sound. It warmed him from the inside out, and he realized that, more then the cozy apartment, it was Caitlin's laugh that felt like home.

They ate quickly, both hungry, and the conversation stopped save for "Could you pass me another piece?" "Need more water?". It was still pleasant though- more a tired silence then an awkward one.

Caitlin cleared the plates, even with Julian's instance that he should do _something_ to help. Then they both threw themselves unto Caitlin's "cruddy" couch. "Care for some Netflix binging?" She asked, eyes drooping as she leaned into his side, full and warm.

Julian felt a tug on his heart. He wanted to stay, he really did, but... "It's a work day tomorrow. I'm sorry. I just know I'll be annoying at work and STAR Labs if we stay up all night watching Netflix and then I have to get up to go to the precinct early in the morning."

Her face twisted, disappointed. "Yeah, yeah, that's fine."

"How about tomorrow?" He offered, unusually spontaneous. But hey, he didn't have any plans, so why not?

Caitlin blinked up at him. "Really? Yeah, that sounds great." She smiled, and got to her feet. "I'll walk you to the door."

"I'm really capable." Julian said, but let her lead him out anyway.

"Yes, but I'm just proper." She teased, opening the door and stepping outside her apartment.

Julian gazed down at her, and took a deep breath. It was time to be spontaneous again.

There lips actually met in the middle, though both of them would argue that they were the one to insinuate the kiss. It didn't matter, though, because, whoever started it, it was still amazing.

Caitlin pulled back, breathless. "Ok. Can't say I was expecting that."

"Me neither." Julian admitted, blushing. "Liked it, though."

She giggled, and reached down to squeeze his hand. "So, movie night? Tomorrow?"

"It's a date."

He left with a smile on his face.

 **Author's Note: Yay! I love them SO MUCH.**

 **Also! EVERYONE READ THIS: The title of this story is AWFUL and pleasepleaseplease give me some ideas, if you've got any. Thank you!**


	2. Tough Love

**Author's Note: This idea came to me because I was thinking about all the parallels that Caitlin and Julian have, and all the things that make them a good couple, and then all of the normal, new-relationship prompts that are out there. Meeting the parents popped into my head (because we know that Caitlin and her mom have difficulties, and I'm pretty sure it was stated that Julian had a tough relationship with his parents, too), and this came into being. Enjoy.**

 **(Oh, and also, this is established Snowbert. Just to get rid of any possible confusion)**

When you've been secretly dating someone for a month, and have finally told your friends, the next step is always harder.

You've got to tell your parents.

Most people wouldn't be freaking out about this. But the last time Caitlin introduced a boy to her mom, Mrs. Snow scared him so terribly that he broke up with Caitlin before he left the house.

Granted, that had been when she was 14, and middle school relationships were never particularly serious. But it had scarred Caitlin so much that she hadn't even introduced _Ronnie_ until they had been dating for almost a year and a half. And she figured her mom was still a little bit sore about that.

Still, telling her mom about Julian would be the next big, finalizing step in their newly-budding romance, and Caitlin wanted to take it.

Julian was less enthusiastic. "Caitlin, I understand the sentiment, but if I meet your mother, that means that you'll have to meet my parents." He sighed, rubbing his hand through his hair and making it stick up.

She fixed it for him with her fingertips, and he rolled his eyes. "Meeting your parents wouldn't be _so_ bad-"

"Yes, it would." Julian argued firmly.

"What, you think they wouldn't like me?" She frowned at the floor, remembering the open arms which had greeted her at Mr. and Mrs. Raymond's house.

"No! No, I don't think people can dislike you, Caitlin." Julian assured her quickly. "My parents are just... an acquired taste. A acquired taste that even I have not completely acquired."

Caitlin scrunched up her face and leaned against her desk. "Come on, they can't be _that_ bad. Especially if they raised you." She was playing all her best cards now, and even pulled out her puppy dog eyes.

Julian groaned, never, _ever_ able to resist the puppy dog eyes. "Fine, fine! We can have one big dinner for all of them, get it over in one blow. But don't say I didn't warn you."

Caitlin beamed at him excitedly, still, a little seed of nervousness had planted in her stomach at his reluctance. "I can call my mom as soon as you get a date from you parents."

"They're going to need to fly in." Julian rubbed his forehead. "They _hate_ flying."

Caitlin raised an eyebrow. "My goodness, you may want to stop now. You've nearly convinced me this was a bad idea."

He shook his head at her, but a smile started up on his face. "You know how much control you have over me, don't you?"

She giggled, swatting his arm. "Go call year parents, and let's get this over with. No need to draw it out longer then it has to. Because you _know_ I'll be worried about this."

"Serves you right." Julian grumbled. "Playing the puppy dog eyes card."

 **SnowbertStoryLinebreaker**

Caitlin _did_ worry. She worried and planned and worried and planned and then freaked herself out with still _more_ worrying and planning.

Julian attempted to calm her down. "It'll be fine. They'll love you- I'm sure! And if they don't, who cares? I lo- like you. That's all that matters, right? More room at the wedding."

She gave him a shocked, openmouthed look. "Julian Albert, that is a _terrible_ thing to say!"

He shrugged. "What? It's true."

They planned a date with both families, and got reservations at a nice restaurant. "That way, we don't have to worry about making any food- I don't really your family as take out people, no offense."

"None taken. You are correct, on that matter. Mom will only agree to go to restaurants where she can wear her newest evening gown."

"Clothes!" Caitlin shrieked, suddenly remembering yet _another_ thing to worry about. "Oh my gosh, I need clothes. What should I wear, Julian?"

"Don't worry about it, you look good in anything." He told her, kindly but unhelpfully.

She groaned. "Well, yes, that's what you think, but I don't know if that's what your _parents_ will think! They're not the ones dating me!"

They both paused what they were doing, thinking back on that sentence. Julian made a face. "Thank goodness for that." That sent Caitlin into a fit of giggles, and the building tension was averted, for the time being.

She went dress shopping later, and bought something that, not only would impress Mrs. Albert (hopefully), but would make Julian rethink that "looks good in anything" comment, and get a bit more specific. Iris came with her to the dress store, and they spent the better part of three hours looking at _everything_. It had actually been kind of fun- stress put aside.

The last Monday in May arrived beautiful and blue skied, but it did nothing to calm Caitlin's thudding heart as she pulled on her dress. It really _was_ quite a nice one, grey with dark blue outlined flowers scattered over the fabric, and she found herself thinking that, if this went well (because if it didn't, she'd never be able to look at the dress again), she's wear it on her and Julian's next date. And now there was just another thing riding on whether or not this went well. Wonderful.

Caitlin was a bundle of nervous energy all day, patching up Barry's newest meta-injuries in record time, then zipping home to change and wait for Julian, who was going to pick her up. He got there an hour early, unable to wait either, and they sat around her kitchen, each lost in their own thoughts.

Julian, for the first time, seemed to be more nervous then Caitlin was. He paced around her tiled floor, stuffing his hands in his pockets, then crossing his arms, then fixing his tie, then back to the pockets again. Caitlin wasn't going to criticize though- he had refrained from commenting on her jitteriness for the better part of a week, so it was the least she could do.

They left the house 15 minutes early, unable to wait a second longer. The drive over was spend with Caitlin smoothing out her hair and taking deep breaths. Finally, she sagging into the leather of her seat, tired out from all the worrying. "Look. From here on out, I'm done worrying about things I can't control. No matter what happens, we're in this together."

Julian glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "You do realize that you sound like you're trying to convince yourself, right."

Caitlin groaned, loudly, and leaned her forehead against the dashboard. Julian smirked. "If your this bad now, I don't even want to know what our kid's first day of school is going to be like."

It was the second time in 2 weeks he had brought up mentions of a future relationship together. It intrigued Caitlin, excited her (and made her just a bit nervous), but this wasn't the time to ask about it.

She took a steadying breath as Julian pulled up to the restaurant. The last time Caitlin had been to a place this nice was... just about never. "Are we paying for this?" She whispered to Julian as they walked inside and claimed their reservation. "Because I don't know if I _can_."

"Don't worry about the price." Julian assured her. "My guess is, my parents will cover all of it. They like showing off how much money they have."

Caitlin looked at him quizzically. "How can such- no offense- awful sounding people raise such an amazing person?"

"With _lots_ of nannies." Julian joked, though his eyes told her the he was telling the truth.

The waitress got them their table, and Caitlin immediately being to fret again. "Oh, what do we do for seating?" She gnawed on her lip, which was sore from this past week.

Julian placed a calming hand on her shoulder, turning her to face him. "What happened to 'no worries about things I can't control'?"

Caitlin's shoulder's slumped. "Sorry. I can't help it."

"I know." He smiled at her. "Chin up, sunshine." She smiled weakly at the nickname. "You sit next to me, and your mom can be on the other side. My parents will be next to me, and our moms can sit next to each other. That ok?"

"Sure." Caitlin breathed, glad to not have to worry about yet _another_ small detail.

Julian took her coat, taking a moment to run his eyes over her dress. "I like that one." He complimented lightly. "A lot."

She beamed at him. "Do you? Oh, good, I had so hoped that you would."

Julian pulled out her chair for her- now who said chivalry isn't dead?- and took one for himself, fiddling with the napkin he placed in his lap.

They waited for awhile in silence, and Caitlin was beginning to regret the decision of leaving so early when the smart sound of heels on the floor made her turn.

A gorgeous woman- tall, long and smartly dressed- was hanging on the arm of a very distinguished gentleman. The woman had long, intricately done up blond hair, and delicate features. The man had a face that looked very much like his sons, but with more wrinkles, and considerably less happy.

Julian practically threw himself out of his seat. "Mum! Dad." He croaked, face going red, then pale, then settling back to normal as he took a deep breath.

He held out his arms for an embrace, and Mrs. Albert stepped into them, patting him stiffly on the back. She pulled away, and inspected her son. "I'd say that you've grown, but..." Her eyes flicked down and up over him. "You really haven't."

Julian laughed nervously, letting go of her and shaking - _shaking_ \- his dad's hand. Caitlin stared at that in shock. Who shook their father's hand?!

As the older man and woman approached their table, Caitlin stumbled to her feet as well. She clasped her hands in front of herself, trying to hide their trembling. "Um, hello! My name is Dr. Caitlin Snow. It's very nice to finally meet you."

Julian's mother peered at her through long, fake eyelashes, then whispered (very loudly) to her husband, "Well, she's a bit... drab."

Caitlin blinked, suddenly wishing that she had worn something a tad more colorful, like Mrs. Albert's long, purple gown and silver heels. She shrunk down a few inches, in on herself, and sat back in her seat.

Mr. Albert pulled out a chair for his wife, and she elegantly perched on the edge. The silence grew.

Before it could become awkward (or. More awkward. Before it could become more awkward. Because it was already so awkward that Caitlin wouldn't be able to graph it on 100 sheets of paper), a new woman entered the room. Caitlin's mom.

For possibly the first time in Caitlin's adult life, she was glad to see her mom. She gave her a quick, awkward hug, then led her to her spot at the table for introductions. The two mother's fell into discussion quickly, and that left the ridged Mr. Albert, Julian and Caitlin to converse.

"So." Mr. Albert nodded in her direction, idly scanning through the extensive menu like he did this kind of fancy-restaurant dining every day. Which was entirely possible... "You said that you're a doctor?"

"Yes." Caitlin nodded. "I'm a bio-engineer."

"I see." He didn't seem to really care, even though he had been the one to ask the question. "Where are employed?"

"Uh, STAR Labs." Caitlin responded slowly, not sure how much to reveal. While it was true that her job at STAR Labs was her only job, working for a company that was closed down didn't make much sense if you didn't know about the Flash.

"Oh, the building that my son was telling me about?" Mrs. Albert had heard their conversation, and now latched on. "He seems to think very highly about it, though I've heard that strange things happen in that building, and that the previous owner actually turned out to be a murderer!"

Gasps flew around the table, and Caitlin winced. Maybe bringing up STAR Labs _hadn't_ been such a good idea. "Yes, Dr. Wells was not a good man." She agreed. "But now the building is owned by a good friend of mine-"

"Which is why you got the job, I'm sure." Mrs. Albert smiled a very fake smile at her.

"Mother!" Julian protested, speaking up for the first time. His face went red. "I'll have you know that Caitlin is a _genius_ , and can handle her own in just about any medical and bio-engineering situation, which is why she got the job-"

"Yes, yes dear." Julian's mom nodded vaguely. She didn't really seem to have heard him, and was more focusing her hawk-like gaze on Caitlin. "That sounds very nice."

Caitlin mother leaned foreword a little bit on the table, and whispered conspiratorially to the other woman. "You know, I offered Caitlin a job at my business- a very respectable one, let me tell you, but she said no. 'Didn't want to live in my shadow'. Her words, not mine." The two ladies tittered, and Caitlin felt her face start to burn uncomfortably.

Julian took her hand under the table and coughed, once, loudly. Everyone looked at him. "How about we order drinks, now? Is everyone ready? Yes, wonderful." He waved down a waiter, but once he was gone, the interrogation returned.

"Julian!" Mrs. Snow said, turning to the forensic scientist. "Tell me a little more about yourself. I barely know you!"

"Um." Julian rubbed at the back of his neck. "I work at the CCPD. I'm the number 1 meta-human expert there, and Barry Allen and I both cover forensic sciences."

Mrs. Snow nodded. "A respectable job." She turned to her daughter, eyebrows raised. "You know, I'm surprised. He doesn't seem to be your usual type, minus the brains."

"I wouldn't say that-" Caitlin protested.

"I mean, first there was Ronnie, and he was obviously very good looking." Mrs. Snow continued, heedless of her daughters embarrassment. "And then Barry Allen-"

"Barry and I never dated!"

"And that Jay person-"

"How do you even _know_ about that?"

"And now Julian!" Mrs. Snow gazed at him a moment. "He's... a little scrawny, don't you think?"

Now it was Julian's turn to blush and look at his plate. Caitlin banged her fist on the table. A few other people looked over. "Now you stop right there." She said, angrily. "Julian is perfectly fine, just the way he is. I don't _care_ about appearance, and anyways, Julian is perfectly fine, appearance wise, too." She leaned back heavily in her chair, glaring around the table, daring arguments to make themselves known.

"I never said that he wasn't." Mrs. Snow amended quickly, guessing that she had overstepped one too many lines. "I was just saying he's not your normal type-"

"Like you'd know." Caitlin growled. "You haven't been in my life since I was 18, mom. There are plenty of things you don't know about me, including who I do or don't love."

Julian raised his eyebrows, gaze slipping quickly to her and back. He wasn't quite sure if that could be considered a love declaration. Maybe. Maybe not. They would be talking about it later, that was for sure.

Mrs. Snow sat back in her chair, and affronted look on her face, one that did, admittedly, look a lot like her daughter's when she was in a mood. Mrs. Albert smiled sympathetically. "Young people these days." She sighed, smoothing her neat bun. "I just don't understand what goes through their heads anymore." She turned to Caitlin. "You should really be showing more respect to your mother. I know if I had a daughter, she would be trained as a proper woman. No offense." She added to Mrs. Snow.

For Caitlin, that was the last straw. She leapt of her chair, face and eyes both burning, and rushed toward the bathroom.

When she arrived, she leaned heavily against the sink, tears trickling down her cheeks, turning them black. When she saw how messed up her makeup was, it only caused her to cry harder, shoulder's shaking with pent up, stressed sobs.

A younger girl arrived in the bathroom, and gave her a worried look. She glanced around. "Um, are you... you ok?"

Caitlin blinked, looking up. The girl was a complete stranger, short blond hair tucked back with a band, and large, concerned grey eyes. She took a shuddering breath. "I- I'm- I'm fine, thanks."

The girl perched herself on the sink. "Wanna talk about it?" Caitlin must have given her a strange look, because she laughed quietly. "My little sister throwing a fit, and the whole room is staring at our family. I'm hiding the bathroom until she's done."

Unable to help herself, Caitlin let out a small giggle. "That sounds rough."

"Yeah." The girl rolled her eyes. "Makes it worse, because there are kids that I know in that room. Including this guy I've had a crush on for, like, _5 years_."

"5 years!" Caitlin exclaimed, the last of her tears drying up as she, too, jumped up on the counter. "Wow. He must be a really great guy, if you're willing to spend that much time on him."

She laughed, and stuck out her hand. "My name's Emma."

"Caitlin." Caitlin introduced herself, shaking it.

"Now, I've told you my story. Want to tell me why you're crying?" Emma asked her.

Caitlin hesitated, but only for a second. "Well, I'm introducing my boyfriend to my mom for the first time, and he's also introducing me to _his_ parents, and I really don't think that they like me- though Julian -that's my boyfriend- has been telling me all along that they are just not very nice people. And, I mean, I prepared myself for that, but they are just _awful_. Not only that, but I've been really stressed out all week getting everything ready and getting a dress and things like that, and then we get there tonight, and Julian's mom calls me _drab_."

She broke off with a sigh, and Emma nodded sagely. "He must be a really great guy if you're willing to spend that much time making his family happy." She smiled, quoting Caitlin from before.

"He is." Caitlin smiled softly. "He understands me like no person I've ever met, and he always knows just what to say in all situations. He excepts for who I am, you know? Flaws and all."

"Girl," Emma grinned. "If everyone had that kind of guy in their life, the world would be a very happy place."

Caitlin laughed, and wiped her face. "That's for sure."

Emma looked down at her shoe as a buzzing noise emanated from it. "Hang on just a second..." She murmured, pulling out her phone, checking who it was. "Oh, wonderful, my sisters done being loud now. I can return." She grinned, and patted Caitlin's arm. "Will you be ok by yourself?"

Caitlin nodded amusedly, "Yes, I'll be fine. Thank you, Emma."

"No problem." Emma leapt of the table, adjusted her headband, and, with a quick check of her reflection, had disappeared out of the bathroom.

Caitlin stared after her for a moment. Did she just encounter a bathroom fairy godmother? Stranger things had happened in this city, she supposed.

After Caitlin had cleaned up her face slightly, wiping all of the ugly back streams of mascara from her face, she walked calmly back to their table. The food had arrived by then, and she glanced at Julian gratefully. He always knew exactly what she wanted to eat.

There wasn't much conversation as they ate, and whatever movement happened consisted in sideways glances at Caitlin. She felt like a ticking bomb, with everyone just waiting for her to pop at any moment. Cheeks burning once again, she stared into her plate.

Then, from the corner of her eye, she noticed a blond, teenaged girl. Emma waved at her, and winked. Caitlin smiled a little bit back. _He's cute_. The younger girl mouthed, nodding at Julian. Then she pointed her chin at another table.

Caitlin followed her gaze to a brown haired boy with glasses, who was completely invested in his dinner conversation with what she assumed was his mom. _He is, too_. Caitlin grinned, over-annunciating the syllables so Emma could read her lips.

Julian nudged her, and leaned down to whisper in her ear (all the while covering the action with sipping at his soup). "Who are you talking to?"

"Oh, just someone I met." Caitlin whispered back, giggling at his confused look and taking another bite of her sandwich.

It was amazing how some small acts of kindness from a complete stranger could make you feel like you were worth the time of others. Even the condescending stares of Mrs. Albert couldn't make Caitlin feel anything but slightly uncomfortable.

The dinner eventually came to an end, and, true to Julian's word, Mr. Albert insisted on paying for everything. Caitlin didn't even bother looking at the check, really not wanting to know. It was probably more then her apartment rent, anyway.

Julian and Caitlin walked quickly to the exit, barely bothering to wait for any of the others. They lingered by the table, discussing in quiet voices, and sending very-obvious glances over in Caitlin and Julian's direction.

"We don't need their approval." Julian whispered in her ear. "I don't care what they say about you, I think that you're amazing."

"Thanks, Julian." Caitlin whispered back, heat crossing her face, but this time for a more pleasant reason. "I meant what I said, back at the dinner table."

"I could tell." Julian smiled, leaning down to gently kiss her. They ignored the stares of their parents, content with each other. "I appreciate you standing up for me."

Caitlin giggled, pulling back a little, and grasping his hand. "Come on." She murmured. "Let's get out of here."

"That sounds just fine to me." Julian agreed, happily letting her pull him out of the restaurant.

 **Author's Note: There you have it! Anyone else freaking out over the pictures/synopsis for 3x18 of the Flash? Come on Tuesday! Come ON!**


	3. The Philosopher's Stone

**Author's Note:** ** _SPOILERS FOR 3x23!_** **(If you guys didn't know this was coming, then you don't know me very well :)**

 **Alright. I had 1 wish- and that was that Julian and Caitlin (or Killer Frost, whichever), had some sort of screen time together.**

 **While I got my wish... I mean, come** ** _on!_** **What's this whole deal with "She's not quite Caitlin, but she's not Killer Frost, and she needs to figure herself out, so let's break Julian's heart** ** _again_** **, and leave him standing with the serum he worked so hard on making so that** ** _you_** **could come back** ** _home_** **?!"**

 **Ugh, it just made me so mad. SOOOOO mad.**

 **Due to form... that led to a fix it.**

As Julian laid his hand on HR's grave, offering a quick, "Goodbye, mate." his eyes caught a lone figure, leaning beside a tree. There gazes met, and even from that far away, Julian could see that the woman's eyes weren't blue.

He hurried to finish up his respects, and nodded to Barry as he walked down the hill. Caitlin straightened up, white hair falling over once shoulder in perfectly formed curls. She gave him a small half-smile. "Hey."

"Hello." Julian replied, coming to a stop a few feet away. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Me neither." Caitlin shrugged.

"But here you are."

"Here I am."

"I'm glad." He admitted softly, looking into her eyes. "I honestly missed you."

"Do tell." She teased, smiling. "I never would have guessed."

His cheeks turned a little pink, and he broke eye contact, staring down at his shined dress shoes. "So... does this mean you're going to be coming back? We need our Caitlin Snow on the team."

"I'm not Caitlin." Caitlin whispered, making him look up and frown. "Not quite, anyway."

"Well, you're not Killer Frost." Julian argued, unable to give up total hope.

"No." Caitlin acknowledged. "I'm... I'm sort of a mix of both. And something new." She reached into her pocket and took a out small vial filled with blue liquid. Her hands trembled as she pressed it into Julian's palm, gently wrapping his fingers around the glass. "I'm sorry. I know how hard you worked to make this, but... I'm just not ready to be Caitlin Snow again yet. I don't know if I'll ever be."

Julian's face fell, hope draining from him like water in a sink. He nodded, quick and short. "Yeah, yeah, ok."

"Is that ok?" Caitlin searched his face, looking for something to reassure herself. "I can't- I can't do this alone, Julian. I need you."

His face softened, misgivings giving way to his renewed love for her. "Of course it's ok. It's your life, Caitlin. I'm here for whatever you need me for."

She relaxed, and he stepped closer to cup her cheeks with his hands. Their faces stopped when they were millimeters apart. Then Julian frowned and pulled back a little. "Just... one thing."

"What?" Caitlin looked nervous once again, like a mouse about to run for cover.

"When we... when we go on our first date, will it be a first date?" Julian frowned harder. "Because I know Caitlin, and Caitlin knows me, and we've technically gone on dates together before, but your aren't quite _Caitlin_ , so would this be actually be a first date with a different person? Or a one-sided first date with a different person? Or-"

A smile spread across Caitlin's face and she laughed, leaning foreword to rest her forehead on Julian's shoulder. It was nice to be able to touch someone without hurting them- especially Julian. "Julian, you're over thinking this."

"Right, sorry, yes." He turned redder, and Caitlin leaned away. She wrapped her hands around his neck and stood on tiptoes to reach his lips.

This kiss was perfection. This kiss wasn't interrupted by either nerves or Julian's "Bedside Manner". This kiss was loving and gentle and all there and filled with sparks. Caitlin pulled Julian closer, and ran her fingers through his blond hair, his hands still on her face.

They pulled apart reluctantly, the need for air overcoming the need for each other's touch after so long without it. Caitlin smiled at him. "See? Still me."

Julian smiled back, rubbing his thumb along her cheek.

His Caitlin had come back home.

 **Author's Note: YAYAYAYAY! See, isn't that so much better?**

 **Well, lets all cross our fingers tightly and hope for Snowbert in Season 4! Maybe I should make a campaign :)**


	4. The Lost Necklace

**Author's Note: I haven't been back to this story in what feels like forever! I have a bunch of stories for this that I've half-started, but aren't yet finished. Someday, I'll get around to finishing all of them, and then there'll just a be a rush of stories flowing it. That'd be nice :D**

 **KINDS OF IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION: This story is set before Caitlin and Julian's kiss in 3x15- in other words, they haven't kissed yet.**

The whole, slightly ridiculous, mess started with a measly battery. Technically, it was Cisco's fault, for _creating_ the battery in the first part, but as Cisco always protested whenever the story was shared with friends and family and team flash: "Dude, _you_ were the one who put the battery in in the first place!"

That, at least, was true. It had been Julian's job to find Caitlin in the Cortex and present her with the new battery for her power dampening necklace. It charged much faster and held the charge longer then her last one, and would hopefully help in the fight to keep Killer Frost at bay.

Julian stepped into the Cortex and smiled when he saw his favorite doctor at her desk, sipping at a Jitter's coffee cup. He took a few steps toward her and extended his hands.

"I come and peace. And I bring a gift."

Caitlin glanced up and smiled, getting out of her chair so she could greet him properly. "What's the occasion?"

Julian shrugged, placing the box in her open hands. "Nothing, really. Cisco and I just thought it'd help."

Caitlin opened up the box and raised her eyebrow, unsure as to why he was giving her a small, round battery for a gift. "Um... thanks?"

"It's for your necklace." Julian elaborated, grinning at the adorably confused crease between her eyes. He reached around her neck and slowly pulled it off, keeping his eyes on her face the whole time. He trusted that she wasn't going to lost control.

As soon as the necklace was off, they both reached for it at the same time. The delicate chain rested for a second on Caitlin's fingertip, but then it slipped of. Lunging to catch it, Julian accidentally batted it with his hand, sending the blue power-dampening snowflake charm skittering under a desk and hitting a wall somewhere underneath.

Julian slowly straightened up, meeting Caitlin's horrified gaze. "Well. That's not very good."

Panic seeped into her face, and Caitlin clutched at his arm. "We have to get my necklace back. _Now_."

Julian nodded hurriedly, falling to his knees and grabbing his phone to shine the light beneath the desk. The dark floor was covered with dust bunnies and cobwebs, which caught in his light and made his visibility quite impaired.

The beam caught something blue and sparkly. It glinted, way in the back, and Julian squinted. "I think- I think I see it."

"Then get it out, quickly, please." Caitlin commanded, her voice tight and tense.

He got to his feet, knees cracking in a way that should _not_ have been happening in a 20-Year-Old body. "I'm going to need something long and able to knock it towards me so I can grab it."

Caitlin nodded, taking a slow breath. Julian's back tensed almost imperceptibly as he watched a slight flicker- so small he might have imagined it- turning her eyes from brown to a bright, unearthly blue. He balled his hands into fists and focused on the trust he had in Caitlin's ability to resist her evil alter-ego.

"Come on." She urged, leading him into her lab. "I'm sure I've got something in here that we could use."

They searched around her office for something long enough for nearly 5 minutes. Caitlin's skin was beginning to pale, and Julian could have _sworn_ he had caught sight of the faintest trail of frost flowing out of her hand. Everything that they came across was either too short or too valuable, or just too big or heavy to move.

"We could move the desk." Julian brainstormed, trying to stay calm. They were in STAR Labs, for goodness sakes! If they couldn't find something to get a necklace out from under a desk, then how on Earth had they managed to stop dozens of metahumans over the past few years?

Caitlin shook her head. "It's nailed to the floor. We wouldn't be able to move it."

Julian let out a puff of exasperation and ran his hand through his hair. "Alright, then. Let's head down to Cisco's lab-" He broke off, once again seeing that almost nonexistent trail of frost filtering from Caitlin hand. Swallowing hard, Julian wrenched his gaze back up to her eyes. "And, uh, look for something long."

"You go." Caitlin said quickly, hands clenched into fists and face a mask of fear. "I'll, uh, stay here."

"It would go faster if we went together-" Julian started, not wanting to leave her alone without her necklace and her fading control."

"GO!" Caitlin hissed, her eyes flashing to a dangerous blue.

Julian froze by the door, eyes tracing a single strand of hair as it's reddish brown hue faded into something lighter.

Something _white_.

"Caitlin- don't-"

A burst of frost shot forth from her fingers and Caitlin cried out in panic, warm brown trying hopelessly to win a battle over cold and ice.

Unable to leave the room with her in this state, Julian jolted foreword, grabbing her arms. They burned cold, even through her sleeves, but he forced himself not to let go, eyes boring into hers. "Calm down. Just because you don't have your necklace doesn't mean you're not strong enough to fight Killer Frost." He said, trying to keep _himself_ calm, even as he told her not to panic.

"Please- run." Caitlin groaned, trying to loosen his grip and shove him out the door. "I don't want to hurt you."

"I trust you, Caitlin." Julian said, dead serious. "You can win this."

Caitlin chomped down on her lip, distressed. Julian made a split second decision.

He crashed his lips down on top of hers in a frantic attempt to distract her. To get her thoughts away from Killer Frost and turning evil and even the fact that she wasn't wearing her necklace. (and, yes, kissing Caitlin wasn't strictly to save both their lives. He got quite a bit of enjoyment out of it as well)

Caitlin wrapped her soft, icy hands around Julian's neck, and goosebumps exploded across his skin- for more reasons then just the cold.

Air became a necessity before Julian could figure out what to do next. Caitlin pushed backwards, drawing in gasps of air. Her eyes flashed from blue to brown to blue and then back to brown.

Julian released his breath in one giant gasp. Caitlin gave him a look, half exasperated, half terrified, half relieved.

Twenty minutes later, Julian had located a long, metal measuring tape and was wiggling the end into the tiny under-desk space. With a few scrapes, one bumped head, about eight curses, and a cup full of dust bunnies, Caitlin necklace was sliding neatly out and into the light.

Julian sat back with a sigh of relief, watching the light gleam off of the blue power-dampening mechanism in the necklace. Caitlin reached down with trembling fingers and slid the chain over her head, letting the charm fall with a light thump to her chest.

Their eyes locked as they breathed out simultaneously. Caitlin's skin turned back to it's normal hue, her hair all brown now.

Julian just hoped that it was for good.

 **Author's Note: Weeeeell... that happened. Like it? Hate it? It was supposed to be a bit fluffier and lighter and funnier then that... what can ya do, huh?**


End file.
